Contest may help fund park

Thursday

Apr 25, 2013 at 1:11 PMApr 25, 2013 at 1:16 PM

Lois Westermeyer

A small group of Pontiac residents leading the pack of those interested in creating a dog park are hoping to win big in an online contest planned by a pet equipment company.Dona Hurt said PetSafe will begin its online contest “Bark for Your Park” on Wednesday, May 1, and communities looking to build or enhance their dog parks could win the grand prize of $100,000 or one of four $25,000 prizes.Hurt and others formed the Pontiac Dog Park Committee and approached the Pontiac City Council Feb. 18 to ask for an acre of land at the Rec-Plex, for location of a dog park.While the council seemed receptive, no action was taken as members wanted time to study funding and liability issues.The dog park committee held a fundraiser Saturday at Big R.“We sold homemade dog treats and it was very successful,” Hurt said. “We raised $350, but more importantly, we raised awareness of our plans to have a dog park in Pontiac. We received a lot of positive responses,” she added.Hurt estimates the dog park the committee envisions would cost $25,000, mainly for fencing and gates.If deemed a contest winner, prize funds could cover all, or a majority of the costs, she added.PetSafe, a company that sells wireless fencing, training collars and pet doors and flaps, is holding a two-tiered contest.Communities have between May 1 and May 31 to submit an entry into the contest. Hurt is entering the proposed park on behalf of Pontiac. She has already received support from Mayor Bob Russell and Parks and Recreation Director Jerry Hayner, and will be discussing the matter further at the May 6 city council meeting.Voting begins at 8 a.m. May 1 and ends at 5 p.m. May 31. There will be two websites for voting, petsafe.net/barkforyourpark or facebook.com/PetSafeBrand. Votes may be cast at each site, once per day.“You cannot pre-enter your community, so I will be doing that first thing May 1, so that people will be able to vote for Pontiac’s park right away,” she said.Contest rules are very specific, stating no entrant may enter multiple times and failure to comply will result in disqualification.There are also strict policies governing voters, according to the official contest rules. A voter may vote once a day, for one community, at both sites. Any voter who attempts to use multiple identities or vote multiple times will be disallowed from voting.Following the end of the first voting period May 31, PetSafe will choose 15 community finalists. Finalists will be notified by June 5 and will then be placed in one of several categories for further voting.If Pontiac makes the finalist cut, the committee will have to submit a video commercial encouraging people to vote for the local project. The second round of voting begins June 5 and ends July 26. Announcement of winners is tentatively set for July 31.“Pontiac and area residents have shown their support of various projects through online contests and we’re hoping for the same results,” Hurt said.“We’re hoping to spread the word and make the final cut. I think we have a really good chance with this,” she said.For more information, contact Hurt at 815-8228054.